This invention relates to compression rollers having movable shoulder shields. More particularly, the invention provides rigid sheets or plates that are positioned against the opposite ends or shoulders of the rollers and that can be moved to permit cleaning of the interfacial area of the roller shoulders and rigid sheets.
Rolling mills that crush or compress materials are used in processing numerous materials as diverse as metals, plastics, grapes and edible dough. In such operations, some materials will exude liquid and other materials will give off fine powders. Inevitably, liquid and fine powder from the material undergoing compression by the rollers migrate to and down along the shoulders of the rollers.
In the conventional design of rolling mills, the shoulders of the rollers abut face plates that are fixed parts of the rolling mill frame. Hence, liquid and debris entering the interfaces of the roller shoulders with the face plates cannot be removed without first disassembling part of the rolling mill. This is a serious problem when the rolling operation generates a gritty powder that will cause grinding and wear at the interfaces. It is a particularly serious problem where food products such as pasta and baking dough undergo rolling because the material collecting in the interfaces becomes a source of bacterial contamination of the food product passing through the rollers. Hence, it becomes mandatory in some rolling operations, especially in food processing, to clean the interfaces of the rollers frequently, e.g., daily or even more often.
A principal object of this invention is to provide movable shields between the shoulders of the rollers and the face plates of a rolling mill.
A further object is to provide shields that offer low frictional resistance to the abutted roller shoulders.
Another important object is to provide shields that are easily moved into abutment with roller shoulders and away therefrom when desired.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description which follows.